Share your best family days out at Merlin attractions - Merlin Annual Passes to be won!

[CeriMumsnet]

From the LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort and Thorpe Park to SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds, Merlin Entertainments offers some of the best days out for families in the UK.

We’d love to hear about your favourite experiences at Merlin attractions! Whether it’s a nostalgic memory from when your children were little or a recent adventure you’ve enjoyed together. Which attractions have you loved most, and why?

Everyone who shares a memory by 17 December will be entered into a prize draw to win four Merlin Essential Passes. (Mumsnet T&Cs; Merlin T&Cs).

Still looking for a Christmas gift for a days-out lover? Unlock a year of unforgettable fun from just £79. Save on the Essential Pass (£79, usually £139), Gold Pass (£199, usually £239) and Gold Membership (£16.99/month, usually £19.99/month) in the Merlin Annual Pass Black Friday offer - available until 21 December.

Hearing my children laughing with excitement on the dragon at Legoland

i have two teenagers and some of our favourite memories are from days out at legoland when they were younger. We now have a toddler and we get to do it all over again with him! We took him for the first time recently and the pure joy on his face all day was unbeatable!

It’s got to be taking my 10 year old son to Alton Towers this year. I have been so excited for him to finally be tall enough to do all of the big coasters as my husband is a wimp and it did not disappoint. Turns out he is a thrill seeker like his Mum 🙌

We went to Legoland a few years ago - I worried my son might be a bit old for it (he was 10 then!) - but he absolutely loved it! It was a great mix of rides/activities & fabulous Lego creations in themed areas which you can stroll through & admire - the Minifigure Racing Speedway was a highlight (rollercoasters which race!) & we loved The Dragon too! There's so much to look at, even when you're queuing, it's still really fun! One day wasn't enough to do all of it, so we'd love to go back!

Legoland Windsor is my favourite. I used to take my children there when they were little and now go with my grandchildren. The Lego driving school is great. The toddler area too. I like the fact that they have sun cream dispensers around the site too. It is good that there is a train that goes up and down the steep hill.

Alton Towers. I remember visiting with my parents, aunt and nan when it was just the old manor and gardens!

Through the years went regularly. Great rides in beautiful grounds. So many amazing memories with different people.

Alton Towers - really because it's the only one near to me - living in the North of England - I have been as a teen with my friends and had the BEST time - and with the children - I do think it's now overpriced and overcrowded and the time spent queueing can tarnish your day - so we picked the slower rides where the queues were lower. I've not been for a couple of years now because it's out of our price range for a day out.

My favourite memory so far with my little children is going to sea life centre and when they saw the shark they were mesmerised and started singing baby shark all day long. They also picked up on lots of sea creatures name and knows the difference between tortoise and turtle! I would love to win this so I can take them on many adventures as they are getting older and making more memories!

Nothing specific, but Alton Towers was a revelation the first time we visited with our 3DC (aged 3 to 14 at the time), They're now aged 19 and we still visit annually.
I aren't a fan of big rides, generally spending most of my days a bit bored at theme parks being chief coat holder and taking our toddler around.
AT has amazing gardens, lots of rides and areas for younger ones and the Sealife centre was great when the weather wasn't kind. It has something for everyone.

When they were affordable and good value for money.

My best memory of Merlin Resorts is one from a while ago. We went to Alton Towers around autumn half term. We didn't realize it was the grand opening of Hex. The fireworks were absolutely stunning, the best I have ever seen, with a river of fire! Chessington World of Adventures has long since eclipsed Alton Towers as my favourite Merlin adventure thanks to its gentle mix of family rides and animals, and many visits with our son, but the fireworks at Alton Towers to celebrate the opening of Hex remain my favourite ever theme park memory.

No thanks, Blackstone (massive private equity firm that owns Merlin)

Free the gentoo penguins!

I took my daughter to Legoland before she started school (two years ago now) as our last term time day out. It was a wonderful day, just the two of us, going on all the rides. Her favourite was the Deep Sea Adventure. We'd love to take her again now she's older and can go on some of the bigger rides.

I remember I flew with my DC’s to Heathrow from Leeds on a deal with British Airways; flights for the 4 of us cost about £80 which was cheaper than the train or fuel for the car. We stayed 3 nights in a Travelodge or Premier Inn in Hounslow (can’t remember which one) and visited Lego Land, Chessington and Thorpe Park on 3 consecutive days using our Merlin family pass.

I remember going on a fairly junior roller-coaster with DD at Chessington who was about 5 and her screaming with laughter and since that moment, she’s loved rollercoasters.

One of our favourite family holidays; my eldest DC still talks about it although DD can’t remember!

Legoland was soured by how long it took to get out of the damn car park!

I went to Thorpe park in the ‘90s with my dad. We lived abroad and I came with him on holiday. My first roller coaster experience, I was probably 8-9 years old

Took the kids to Lego land Windsor a few years ago. The submarine ride was a highlight

We used to do a lot of Merlin attractions when the dds were little. I'd love to revisit them now they're older and braver, although I'm still not brave.

We've had some lovely visits over years, Legoland when my 2 boys were little, would be playing in the park areas in duplo valley, watching the pirate show and my youngest laughing his head when the pirates are hitting each other with the fish at the top of the lighthouse before diving off, building with the lego, driving the cars and getting his learner pass, getting to be a ninja in ninjago. Now they are older we've just recently enjoyed visiting all the theme parks for Halloween, fight nights, scarefest, brick or treat and riding all the rollercosters in the dark, doing some scare mazes for the older one and hubby, watching the shows and just having a great time as a family.

My son finding out he was tall enough to ride all the big rides at Alton Towers. I will never forget his smile and excitement!

Legoland! I went last year on a Blue Light Day with my boys, then aged 5 and 8 and stayed over in the Castle Hotel. It was the first holiday we'd had just the 3 of us and had an amazing time 💕

Haven't visited any of the other Merlin attractions yet, mainly due to cost, but would love to introduce the boys to proper theme park rides now they're a bit older.

Legoland Windsor with friends and kids across 3 generations in the Christmas in-betweeny days. We all had a wonderful time with regular pit stops for hot drinks as it was absolutely freezing 🥶. Same again this year!

When my eldest son was young we measured him every year to see if he was tall enough for Nemesis. When he was he absolutely loved it. However he recently told me how terrified he was at the thought of going on it and when the day arrived and he was tall enough. However he didn't want to say he was scared! Like I said once he tried it he was hooked! Both of my son's are adrenaline junkies like me! These days my son's take me to Alton Towers. It was my 70th birthday in September and they took me for the last fireworks night as one of my birthday treats. We all love Smiler which I had thought was my favourite but we managed to get on Nemesis in the dark and what a rush! On the way home we discussed the rides and I honestly couldn't make my mind up. My youngest son and I agreed 50/ 50 between those rides but my eldest decided it had to be Nemesis as he has fond memories of his 1st time on it. I have asked my son's will they still take me when I am 80 and they said 'Mum if you can walk , we will take you'!

Taking our twins to Legoland as one of our summer of fun ‘big days out’ before they started school and listening to them giggle and squeal with delight on their first ever ride. Magical!

My two girls had a bonus day’s inset at the end of the summer and both were determined to try a theme park. Off we went for chessington! DD11 was straight in - she loved vampire, dragons furyand even mandrill mayhem from the get go! The 9 year old was more cautious so DH and I divided and conquered a lot, but she loved croc drop and the tomb one. We eventually persuaded DD9 into vampire and omg she was obsessed!! We ran around the park doing all the biggest rides over and over until it closed and she was so cross with herself for all the earlier fun she’d missed! Now they’re both desperate to try Thorpe park!